Mouse-guard for musical instruments.



J. H. GINDLING. MOUSE GUARD FOB MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. nrmuumn nun SEPTA, 191a.

Patented May 26,1914.

gmnwtoz I John H. Gindling. 351 his eq's I COLUIIIA MIA," C0.,WA$HINGTON, D. C.

JOHN H. GINDLING, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA.

MOUSE-GUARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay26,1914.

Application filed September 4, 1913. Serial No. 788,163.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. GINDLING, a citizen of the United States, and'residing at Tampa, in the county of Hillsboro and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mouse-Guards for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mouse guards for musical instruments and particularly for pianos, organs and other instruments of this class, and the object thereof is toprovide an improved device of the class specified, designed for use in connection with the pedal or pedals of a piano or other musical instrument, and by means of which mice will be prevented from entering the instrument through the hole or holes in which the pedal or pedals operate.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the front wall of a piano, organ or similar instrument, the bottom or floor thereof, and a pedal provided with my improvement; Fig. 2 a bottom plan view of the pedal with the improvement attached; Fig. 3 a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and Fig. i a side View of a modified form of pedal and showing a modified form of guard connected therewith.

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, I have shown at a the front wall of a piano, organ or similar musical instrument, at b the bottom or floor thereof, and at c an ordinary pedal having a shank c which passes through and operates in an opening a in the front wall of the instrument, and in the practice of my invention, I provide a yokeshaped attachment (5 which is adapted to be mounted on the projecting portion of the pedal with the side arms thereof directed downwardly, and mounted on said side arms, below the pedal, is a plate 6 held in place by thumb nuts f, between which and the plate e are preferably placed washers g, and mounted on the bottom of the plate 6 and ranging longitudinally of the pedal is an L-shaped guard plate h, the short arm h of which passes through the opening a in the front wall of the instrument and is directed downwardly and the longer arm 72, of which is provided with a longitudinal slot 7L4 through which is passed a screw 2' and which is also passed upwardly through the plate 6, and provided at its lower end with a head i by which it may be easily manipulated, and a washer j is preferably placed on the screw 2' and bears on the longer end if of the L-shaped guard plate It.

It is a well known fact that mice are accustomed to enter a piano, organ or similar instrument through the hole or aperture of in which the pedal 0 works and beneath said pedal, but with my improvement the part 76- of the guard plate it may be manipulated or adjusted so as to fully prevent this result without interfering in any way with the operation of the pedal, and it will be understood that the part 72, of the guard plate It may be of any desired dimension.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing the bottom or floor b of the instrument is provided rearwardly of the opening a in the front wall with a recess 6 but this is immaterial and changes in the construction shown in Fig. 1 may be made without departing from the scope of my invention.

In Fig. 4, I have shown another form of pedal provided with a downwardly directed shoulder or projection 0 which may under certain circumstances serve as a mouse guard but experience has shown that this construction will not operate under all conditions as a mouse guard and with pedals of this form, I provide a guard plate k comprising a horizontal arm member h, a downwardly directed yoke-shaped port-ion It and upwardly directed guard member lbs, and the operation of this form of construction in preventing a mouse from entering the piano, through the opening a will be the same as with that shown in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive.

My improved mouse guard may be connected with a pedal by anyone, and easily detached therefrom when desired, and the construction thereof involves no change whatever in the pedal. In pedals of this class, the projecting foot piece is provided with a concave or depressed top, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4c, and by reason of this construction, when the yoke-shaped attachment (Z is connected with the pedal, it remains securely in position and will not slide or move forward or backward, while the mouse guard proper may be adjusted into any desired position, as Will be readily understood.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with a pedal of a piano or other musical instrument, of a mouse guard comprising a yoke-shaped attachment mounted on the projecting portion of the pedal and having downwardly directed side members, a cross plate mounted on said side members below the pedal and held in place by nuts, a guard device one part of which crosses said cross plate and is provided with a longitudinal slot and a screw passed through said slot and into and through said cross plate.

2. A mouse guard for the pedals of pianos or other musical instruments comprising a yoke-shaped attachment adapted to be mounted on the projecting portion of a pedal, a cross plate adapted to be mounted on the side arms of said yoke-shaped attach- A ment below the pedal and held in place by nuts, a guard member having a shank portion adapted to be placed transversely of the cross plate and provided with a longitudinal slot, and a screw adapted to be passed through said slot and into and through said cross plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batents.

Washington. D. 0" 

